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The Importance of Cosimo De Medici in Library History

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The Importance of Cosimo De Medici in Library History THE IMPORTANCE OF COSIMO DE MEDICI IN LIBRARY HISTORY by William F Meehan III osimo de Medici, the aristocratic banker in Gern1any are 'epoch-making" (Holmes, 1969 p. and statesman who enlivened philan­ 119). thropy in Renaissance Florence might When it came to his personal book collection, have made his greatest contribution to [Q Cosin10 preferred quality over quantity, and he added the arts through his patronage of human­ to his library wisely. After growing up in a home with ist libraries. Cosima hin1self accumulated a superb only three books, Cosima by the age of 30 had as­ personal collection, but his three major library initia­ sembled a library of about 70 exquisite volumes. The tives were charitable activities and included Italy's first collection reflected his literary taste and consisted of public library, which made its way to the magnificent classical texts as well as a mix of secular and sacred library founded generations later by one of his descen­ works typical of collections at the time. Sening his dants. library, as well as other Florentine humanist libraries, Cosima's patronage of libraries flourished when a apart from others in Italy in the first half of the four­ small group of Florentine intellectuals leading a revival teenth century was the accession of Greek texts, which of the classical world and litterae humaniores sought were exceedingly scarce at th time but central to the his support. They fostered a milieu that engendered an unifying theme of Cosima's excell nt collection as well appreciation for books and learning in the benefactor as a principal scholarly interest of the humanists. who "had a great liking for men of letters and sought Although Cosima's library was closed to scholars, their company" (da Bisticci, 1926, p. 213). Moreover, he became essential in the effort to revive and study the the humanist movement was accentuated by the arrival ancients by supporting the most ardent book coil ctor of connoisseurship, with taste the distinctive purview of among the Florentine humanists: Niccolo. With an the humanist scholars (McCarthy, 1963, p. 184) . almost endless supply of florins from the Medici bank, Cosima "was enchanted with the delightful and culti­ Niccolo formed an uncommonly large personal library vated world of the humanists" (de Hamel, 1994, p. 240) of 800 books. He was a collector of such remarkabl and, starting with the Platonic Academy in Florence, enthusiasm that he owned multiple copies of several sponsored their endeavors in the renewal of Greek and classical texts, which he generously circulated for Roman civilization through its literature. copying. Cosima was introduced to the initial wave of Niccolo's taste was exquisite, and he certainly was humanists in Florence-among them Poggio Bracciolini the connoisseur nonpareil among the humanists. and Niccolo Niccoli-by his tutor Roberto Rossi. They Prin1arily a scribe, his fastidious attention to form was acquainted Cosima with the classical world and in­ so unyielding that he copied texts him lf instead of spired in him a fascination with finding, collecting, and relying on commissions. It thus was inevitabl that h studying its literature. Heartened by the romantic desired a more pleasing script in his books. In partner­ wanderlust of a true bibliophile, the austere banker ship with Poggio, Niccolo successfully imitated th even embarked on several journeys in the hunt for earlier Caroline minuscule in creating a new cript books, while guaranteeing just about any undertaking called lettera anitca, known today a Roman. Th y also that involved books. He financed trips to nearly every initiated a style now identified as italic. European town as well as to Syria, Egypt, and Greece organized by Poggio, his chief book scout. The intrepid These innovations in the appearance of a book and dependable Poggio famously traversed mountain­ coincided with a larger humanist effort that inspired a ous Europe to unearth treasures in forgonen abbey and shift in the classical text from a purely literary concern cathedral libraries. His "prowlings" at St. Gall, the with content to a visual one occupied with appearance. monastery founded in 612 A.D. in Switzerland, are "the It called for an aesthetic overhaul of the entire book, stuff of legend" (Basbanes, 2002, p. 41), while his finds and the result clearly distinguishes the humanist Indiana Libraries, Vol. 26, Number J 15 manuscript from other styles. With interlaced white In the early 1460s Cosimo also built and furnished vine scroll gracefully bordering the attractive script on another convent library at the Badia in Fiesole over­ creamy white vellum, books in Florentine libraries such looking Florence. The greater part of the collection was as Cosimo's and iccolo's, to be sure, were more than provided by Vespasiano's 45 scribes who within two textS to be learned; they were (and are) objects to years copied nearly 200 manuscripts based on a canon behold. "Even the smell of a clean humanist book " list prepared at Cosimo's request by Tommaso observes illuminated manuscript authority Christopher Parentucelli who, later as Pope icholas V, founded the de Hamel, "is strangely seductive" (1994, p. 252). Vatican Library. Parentucelli's proposal included religious and philosophical works followed by treatises iccolo and his circle were the heart of Florentine on mathematics, and fmally the humanities. Furnishing humanism, so his library was indispensable to their the library was Vespasiano's most celebrated commis­ intellectual life. But iccolo's high-minded mission was sion, which included authority for binding and for to accumulate a library for use not only by scholars but fixing chains to the books. also by the citizenry. He thus wrote in his will the wish Cosimo's only library endeavor outside Florence, in that his library remain, in perpetuity, a place of general fact his first library, was a gift in return for Venetian use open to a public eager for knowledge, and he hospitality and goodwill. Thankful for the shelter entrusted a group, headed by his leading creditor provided during a short exile Cosimo built and fur­ Cosimo, with the responsibility of carrying out his nished in 1433 a library for the San Giorgio Maggiore bequest. Cosimo, who had curtailed his personal monastery in Venice which Michelozzo also designed manuscript commissions in the mid-1430s, was devot­ in the conventional style. Meanwhile, the parts of ing his time to restoring the Dominican convent at San Cosimo's library that did not enrich the San Marco Marco; when iccolo died in 1437, Cosimo had the collection were dispersed to his two sons, Piero and perfect home that would fulfill the bookman's desire. Giovanni, who would pursue book collecting vigorously With Cosimo's active involvement, San Marco in friendly sibling competition; differing from their became Italy's first public library. Designed by father's sin1ple and elegant manuscript style, the sons Michelozzo, it was "a treasure-house" (Ullman & incorporated decorative miniatures a·eated by leading Stadter, 1972, p. 15) and "a miracle of grace and light" painters. Over the next century, Medicis intermittently (Parks, 2005, p. 124) from the day it opened in 1444. continued to build personal collections of varying size but of consistent quality. In 1571, Giulio de Medici, the Writes Medicean scholar Dale Kent (2000): former Pope Clement VII, brought together the family It was the library ... (in which] the architect's collections and commissioned Michelangelo to design a talents and Cosimo's tyle of patronage most single library to house them in Florence. effectively converged. The library-cool, classical, Part of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Medician spare, and graceful ... is the architectural master Laurentian Library contains some of the world's most piece of San Marco. The austere character of its spectacular holdings in one of its most celebrated design mirrored the character of its patron ... The buildings. Designed by Michelangelo as a monument to quality of the library also expressed the quality of the Medici collections, it is described by historian Medici literary friendships. Cosimo ... was chiefly Konstantinos Staikos (2000) in The Great Libraries: responsible for making iccolo's legendary classical library the nucleus of his own donation. The library The library is reached by a superb triple stairway became a gift to the city as well as to the church, whose steps, balustrades and curves make it look since by Niccoli's wish, his books were to be freely more like a sculpture. It leads up from an entrance hall where pairs of columns stand like sentinels to available to all Florentine laymen. (p. 178) right and left of harmoniously designed niches. The Moreover, in designing the library like a basilica but library itself is a rectangular room ... with two side with medieval library furniture and fittings, "Michelozzo walls in the same style as the walls of the entrance succeeded in creating at the same time the architectural hall but without the columns. Some of the windows model for the r naissance library and its most effective are of stained glass, adorned with heraldic devices realization. The long narrow hall, divided into three ... The floor and ceiling are variations on more or part by two rows of plain columns, vaulted and less the same design, consisting of garlands and luminous forms the perfect environment for asc~tic palmettes framed by the rectangylar pan l~ with a study" (Ullman & Stadter, 1972, p. 5). After the library conspicuous decorative design of linear and opened, Florence became a popular destination of naturalistic motifs. The floor resembles a precious R naissance leading lights from all of Europe, because necklace of marble inlaid work, while the ceiling is of high regard for the humanists and access to exem­ of natural-colored carved wood.
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